Hay-fork.



1?. H. BARZ.

HAY PORK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1912.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914,

h v5 Allume] F. H. BARZ.

HAY FORK.

APPLIQATION FILED JUNE 1, 1912.

latelueaA Mar. 31, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/NI/ENTOR FRED H. BARZ.

WTNESSES f/ 'his llorney.r

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.. WASHINGTON. D. C;

FRED I-I. BARZ, OF VENTURA, IO'WA.

HAY-FORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Application filed June 1, 1912. Serial No. 701,099.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, FRED H. BARZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ventura, in the county of Cerro Gordo and State of Iowa', have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Forks,of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to hay forks, and has especial reference to a device for facilitating the distribution of hay upon the mound.

Another object of this invention is the production of an efiicient means whereby the tipping of the hay distributing fork will be regulated With these and other objects in view, this invention consists of certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tipping fork as applied to a barn or other place of storage for hay. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the fork used in connection with the present invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the tripping trigger for the hay distributing fork. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the fork before the saine is tipped. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the fork in its tipped position as the saine is being swung. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the hangers for holding the fork in a set position upon the track. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of the clamping plate used in connection with the hanger illustrated in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective of the pivoted dog carried by the regulating trigger for the hay distributing fork. Fig. 9 is a top plan View of the hook carried by the main standard of the hay distributing` fork for supporting the returning spring. Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view through the truss of the hanger showing an end view of the front hanger member.

By referring to the drawings by numerals, it will be seen that the present device is susceptible of being used in a barn or other place of storage for hay, and within the barn or other place of storage is carried a track 1 which preferably extends lone .gitudinally of the barn. A hanger is suspended from the track 1 and comprises a forward hanger member 2, and a rear hanger member 3. The forward hanger member 2 comprises a pair of parallel plates 4 provided with overhanging ends 5. A roller 6 is journaled between the parallel plates 4 and over this roller travels the shifting cable 7. The forward hanger member 2 and the rear hanger member 3 are connected by means of a truss member -8 being twisted at its center to form a support for the main supporting standard 9. The rear hanger member 3 comprises a pair of parallel plates 10 which are bent inwardly at their lower ends as indicated at 11 for firmly clamping around the truss member 8. The upper ends of the parallel members 10 are bent inwardly as indicated at 12 to overhang the track 1. The bracket 13 is secured adjustably to one of the side members 10 and through this bracket 13 passes an adjustable rod 14, which is threaded at its upper end for facilitating the adjustment of the rod 14 within the bracket 13. A clamping plate 15 is also provided with a reduced neck 18, intermediate its ends for traveling in the longitudinally eX- tending slot 19, formed in the opposite parallel portions 10. The projecting end 2O of the clamping plate 15 overhangs the bracket 13, so as to be readily engaged by the upper end of the rod 14. This clamping plate 15 passes under the track 1, and it will be seen that this clamping plate 15 may be firmly forced in engagement with the track 1 to hold the hay distributing fork in a set position upon the track 1. The reduced portion 16 is held in the aperture 17 by means of the vertically sliding angle plate 21 which angle plate 21 is provided with an angle-foot 22 for facilitating the sliding of the plate 21 upon one of the parallel meinbers 10. The plate 21 is firmly held in engagement with one of the side members 10, by means of the bolt 23.

The rod 14 is preferably long enough so as to allow the hay distributing fork to be locked upon the track 1 at the desired place by the operator of the hay distributing fork. rlhe main supporting rod 9 carries at its lower ends a pair of spaced bracket members 24, which members constitute a4 support for the anchoring rod 25. The anchoring rod 25 is provided with an angle end 26, which overhangs the upper bracket 24 so as to limit the downward movement of the anchor rod 25. The upper bracket member 24 is provided with a folded end 27, through which the main supporting rod 9 passes, and this folded end 27 assists in holding the anchor rod 25 in its correct position. A hay fork supporting bracket 23 is carried by the main supporting rod 9, and a collar 29 is positioned upon each side ofthe bracket 23 for holding the bracket 28 in a set position upon the main supporting rod 9. The fork 30 comprises a rear, transversely extending member 3l, which transversely extending member is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending ears 32 having a pivotal connection 32ll to the bracket 23.

A central tooth connecting member 33 is carried by the fork and a bracket 34 is carried by the central tooth connecting member 33, and to this bracket 34 is connected a link 35, by means of a bolt 36. The lower end of the link 35 is connected to a vertically extending bolt 37 which bolt has its lower head portion 33 secured in the overhanging end 39 of the bracket 40 carried by the lower end of the main supporting rod 9.

A trigger rod 41 is carried by the bolt 37, and a coil spring 42 is wound around the bolt 37 and engages the rear end of the rodl 4l. The free ends of the spring are hooked around the lower end of the main supporting rod 9, as illustrated in Figs. l and 3. A trigger latch 43 is pivotally secured to the trigger rod 4l, and this latch is of a substantially U-shaped structure having a bifurcated end 44 which straddles the trigger rod 41 in such a manner as to allow the latch 43 to swing upwardly out of engagement of the main supporting rod 9. This latch member 3 is adapted to be swung upon the trigger rod 41, and controls the dumping of the hayl fork. When the latch 43 is positioned in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 3, the fork will dump as soon as the weight has been placed thereon toward the opposite side of the main supporting rod 9. When the latch member 43 is placed upon the opposite side of the main supporting rod 9, the fork will dump in the opposite manner to that just described. In other words, the dumping of the fork will be regulated by the latch member 43, as the fork will, at all times dump upon th-e opposite side of the main supporting rod to which the latch member 43 is placed. e

A spring supporting collar 45 is carried by the main supporting rod 9, and this collar is provided with a downwardly extending hook 46 which engages the upper end of the spring 47. This spring 47 engages a collar 48 carried by one of the teeth of the hay distributing fork, and this spring 47 returns the fork to its normal position after the hay has been removed o-r distributed therefrom.

The operation of the device is as follows :-A.s a load is dumped upon the fork 30, the weight of the load tends to cause the fork to swing downwardly on the pvot 32a,

the weight of the fork alone, but'not under against the tension of spring 47. The fork,

however, in its downward movement, is forced to swing to one side by therod 35 which rotates about the axis of bolt 37 as a center, while the fork swings about the sup port 9 as a center. The springs 42 tend to prevent the turning of the bolt 37 and hence the rotation of the fork. Said springs are suiiiciently strong to prev-ent rotation under the additional weight of the load. The side to which the bar 35 will throw t-he fork in dumping is determined by the position of member 43 relative to the bar 9, since Athe rodv 4l must rotate with the bolt 37 and the bar 35. In this connection special attention is invited to the diagram. Y j

Special attention is called to the diagram in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein Fig. 42 illustrates the normal position of the hay fork, and Fig. 5 illustrates the dumping position. J

From the foregoing description, it will be s. seen that a very eilicient andV durable device has been produced for evenly distributing the hay upon a mound, and in view of the fact lthat the distributing device may be moved to different places within the barn or other structure, it will, of course, be obvious that the hay 'may be evenlydistributed over the entire place where it is desired that t-he hay should be piled'. Y Y

The present device is susceptible of being used in loading wagons or other vehicles, as well as in an inclosure, and it should be un-V derstood that the invention may be modied as to its detail mechanical construction without departing from the spirit of the inven# tion.

By carefully considering Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the trigger 4l is placed upon one side of the main standard 9. This main standard or supporting standard 9, when the trigger 4lV is in the po sitio-n shown in Fig. 3, will prevent the fork from swinging towardthe right. |The fork 110 is loosely or rotatably mounted upon the main standard and by being loosely mounted upon the main standard, it will be perfectly obvious that when a weight is placed upon the fork the same will be compelled to swing 115 from one side to the other, especially upon the sudden placing of a weight upon the fork which would certainly cause the same to Y jar. The fork would then swing to the left as soon as a weight is placed upon the fork, 120 that is to say, the hay or other materiahin view of the fact that as the forkswings to-V ward the left t-he trigger 41 will be moved away from the standard, it being impossible for the fork to swing toward the right. It 125 should be further understood thatwhen it is desired to have the fork swing toward the right, the latch member 43 is swung upwardly so as to allow the trigger 4l to pass upon the opposite side of tliestandard 9 13@ noeaosv and when the trigger 41 is then placed upon the opposite side of the standard 9, the fork can then dump toward the right in the same manner as that described above. It should be understood that it is only the weight of the hay dropping upon the fork which causes the fork to slightly jar and then swing in view of the fact that the fork is loosely or freely mounted upon the standard, and as the fork does so swing the same will dump automatically owing to the toggle arrangementof the joints above described.

Nhat is claimed is l. A hay distributing device comprising a support, a standard carried thereby, a fork mounted for horizontal swinging movements thereon, and means connecting the fork to the standard to cause the fork to automatically swing and dump when a load is delivered thereon.

2. A device of the class described comprising a support, a main supporting standard carried thereby, a hay distributing fork rotatably mounted upon said main supporting standard, trigger means for preventing the swinging of said hay distributing fork upon said standard in one direction and allowing the swinging of said fork in the opposite direction, and means carried by said standard and engaging said fork for causing the same to dump as said fork is swung upon the standard.

3. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard suspended from said support, a hay distributing fork pivotally mounted upon said standard and capable of being swung thereon, and means associated with said standard and engaging said fork for causing said fork to dump, as the same is swung upon said standard, and means for returning said fork to its normal position after a load has been distributed therefrom.

el. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard suspended therefrom, a hay distributing fork supporting bracket carried by said standard and capable of being rotated thereon, a hay distributing fork carried by said hay distributing fork supporting bracket, a link member connected to said fork, a bracket carried by the lower end of said standard, said link member connected to said bracket near its outer end, said hay distributing fork adapt-ed to be swung upon said standard, and said link adapted to pull said fork downwardly as said fork is swung, and means carried by said standard and engaging said fork for causing said fork to assume its normal position.

5. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard suspended from said support, a hay distributing fork rotatably mounted upon said standard, a bracket carried by the lower end of said standard, said bracket extending outwardly from said standard, and link means connected to said fork intermediate its ends and connected to said bracket near its outer end for causing said fork to be dumped as the same is rotated upon said standard.

`6. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard carried by said support, a hay distributing fork carried by said standardand rotatably mounted thereon, a bracket carried by the lower end of said standard, a bolt carried by the outer end of said bracket, a link connected to said hay distributing fork intermediate its ends and connected to said bolt, a trigger carried by said bolt, spring means carried by said bolt and engaging said standard for holding said trigger in engagement with said standard for preventing the rotation of said hay distributing fork in one direction, and means carried by said standard and engaging said fork for returning said fork to its normal position after a load has been delivered therefrom.

7 A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard carried by said support, a hay distributing fork carried by said standard and capable of being swung thereon, said fork provided with a central tooth engaging member, a bracket carried by said central tooth engaging member, a bracket carried by the lower end of said standard, a bolt member carried by the outer ends of said bracket, a link connecting said bracket carried by said fork with said bolt for pulling the forward en ds of said fork down as said fork is swung upon said standard, means carried by said bolt and engaging said standard for preventing the rotation of said fork in one direction, and means for returning said fork to its normal position after a load has been discharged therefrom.

8. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard carried by said support, a hay distributing fork carried by said standard and capable of being swung thereon, a bracket carried by the lower end of said standard, a bolt carried by said bracket, a trigger carried by said bolt, a latch member pivotally secured to the outer end of said trigger and adapted to be swung so as to allo-w said trigger to engage the opposite sides of said standard, spring means engaging sa'id trigger and standard for holding said trigger in engagement with said standard, and locking means carried by said bolt and engaging said fork intermediate its ends for holding the cuter end of said fork downwardly as said fork is rotated upon said standard.

9. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard carried by said support, a hay distributing fork carried by said standard and capable of being swung thereon, means carried by said standard and engaging said fork for automatically dumping the same as said fork is swung upon said standard, means for preventing the swinging of said fork in one direction, means for returning said fork to its normal position after a load has been delivered therefrom, and anchoring means carried by said standard.

10. A hay distributing device of the class described comprising a support, a standard carried by said support, a hay distributing fork carried by said standard and Vcapable of being swung thereon, means carried by said standard and engaging said fork for automatically dumping the same as said fork venting the swinging of said fork in one direction, `means for returning said fork to its normal posit-ion after a load has been delivered therefrom, a plurality ofV anchor rod supporting brackets carried by said standard, and an anchor rod passing through said brackets and adapted to engage a hay mound for bracing the lower end of said standard. o Y

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. FRED H. BARZ.

Witnesses:

W. L. MITCHELL, LAURENCE L. BLIss.

l Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byaddressing` the Commissioner of Patents,

v Washington, D. C.V Y

is swung upon said standard,'means for pre- 

